Three Bears Song

♫♪ kom se ma li ka han ji beh yi soh ♫♪
♫♪ Apa kom, Oma Kom, Egi kom ♫♪
♫♪ Apa Kom en diung diung ae ♫♪
♫♪ Oma kom en nai shi ae ♫♪
♫♪ Egi kom en domokiyowo ♫♪
♫♪ Usu Usu cha ran da ♫♪

Korean Winter and Christmas!

As another layer of snow delicately coats the outdoors, I feel an urge to make a blog post. First, a reiteration. It's cold. It's very cold. It's much colder than Florida ever was. And there's a strange white fluffy substance that falls from the sky. It melts and forms ice, which makes you slip and fall on your bum in the morning. I still am altogether unsure of this snow thing.

Anywho, such is the time to experiment! So last weekend, I went with the gregarious Gongju gang to Gangwando, a province in the northern part of the country, to go.. SKIING, a first for a townie like me. The trip was organized by Adventure Korea and we skiied at the lovely Phoenix Park Resort. It was cold, yes. But, by gosh, it was fun too! I loved skiing very quickly and falling over as the only way I knew how to stop. The Korean schoolkiddos found my bumbles to be amusing. And the ski lifts were divine-- it felt like flying!


And, Christmas! Well, as despite the prevalence of Christianity in Korea, Christmas is not what I would call a large holiday. In fact, the local grocery stores were far more decorated for Pepero Day in November. The stores were all open. There were people on the streets. Everything was.. normal. Aside from the mysteriously crowded trains, it really felt like just another Korean Saturday. Calm.

I spent the holidays with my darlings from Gyeongbuk, opened presents from one another (I got some real good'uns!) had a home-made holiday meal, and danced in the Christmas lights in Daegu. VIA Skype, I got to join me fam on Christmas morning and view the stressful holiday from afar! I miss my family and friends, and hope you all had an amazing holiday!


Next week is New Years! I wonder in excitement what interesting things Korea shall offer!

Happy to be here!

This morning began at an abhorable pace. I had ignored my alarm, and woke up at 8:05, with a train slated to leave at 8:13. I had class at 9:00! Thank god the train was late. I hate my commute. I hate not having a car.I hate walking in freezing cold rain in December, but I love my job, and, all the same, I love my life.

This past weekend I went to the grand old capital of the Silla empire, Gyeongju. I love old places, and this is THE prime example of an old city in Korea. I travelled alone, somewhat a scary experience, but didn't feel unsafe at any point. Maybe a little stupid. And I think there was a moment of desperation when I got off on the wrong stop at 11:00 at night. But everything worked out. It always does. Here's a picture of the 1500-year-old Bulgoksa temple.. with some girl awkwardly posing like a flamingo in front.



The weekend before, I went to Seoul with three of my closest friends in Korea.. The Michiganders extrordinaire! We screamed like school girls to the brain-infiltrating rhythms of K-Pop superstars Big Bang, 2NE1, Gummy, SE7EN and Psy. It was an amazing concert, they know how to put on an amazing show. I also lost my wallet, about 70,000W, my ARC, my credit cards.. Which was a bummer. Nothing that can't be replaced, but still, do'h! Never a fun time. I filed my police report, but I suspect that someone took the money and threw my wallet in the trash.. No cards have been used at least!

May I reiterate how happy I am to have these girls?


This here is the deliciously entertaining PSY; a man who danced, sweat, huffed and puffed to the point where he looked like he could have fallen over on stage, but not once stopped smiling. And it has been decided that his song is popular this month! I'm all for anyone who can push past the silly Korean standard of beauty. Silly is smexy. Kudos, Mister Psy!


I still need to decide where I am going for winter vacation. Cambodia is beautiful, but if I can't find anyone to go with me it will be beaautiful, but probably not all that fun. My trip to Gyeongju made me realize that while I am one who enjoys solitude, possibly more than most people, going on trips alone is just not nearly as fun!

Mom and Sissy, Part Two!

Wow, I cannot believe it is December! The time is flying by. And the feeling of the holidays is simply not here without my family. My mom and sister's visit was amazing, despite the extreme stress that seems to come with every family trip, we had a plethora of fun and were able to spend time together again. I am so happy I got to share some of my Korean life with them.

Our adventures into Seoul spanned from Friday through Monday... each day left us completely mentally and physically exhausted!

Pictures, HERE!
http://picasaweb.google.com/nyxnightingale/MomAndSissyComeToKorea02#

Friday We left for Seoul in the morning. Sissy and I enjoyed a feast of Pringles and Hite from the snack train. The first order of business was replacing my lost passport.. we struggled a bit with the metro system but eventually made our way. Dealing with the consulate was very bureaucratic, as one might imagine. Anyway, once THAT was over we stayed at Lee and No's hostel in Hongdae. We shared the house with traveler's from China, Hong Kong, Massachusetts and Ohio. Erica and I went out dancing in Hongdae, and got matching ice cream lemonade floats from a frilly pink cafe!
Cafe in Hongdae

Saturday Packed up our bags and began another tedious journey through the metro station. We only had one suitcase, but it got heavier each day as we crammed new parcels within. The Grand Hyatt at Itaewon was our second hotel, one of those places that is beautiful but so fancy that it was offputting to someone of my middle-class upbringing. We gallivanted about Itaewon, and Erica and I saw the National Museum of Korea! That night we had dinner at Gecko's with a Ben from back home!
Christmas tree at Grand Hyatt


Sunday The tour day! Jogyesa Buddhist temple, the beautiful Gyeongbok palace, the National Folk Museum, Changedok palace, Insadong shopping, Namdaemun market, and finally back to the hotel. Honestly, it was sensory overload, and there are so many stories to tell that I may choose to add them later, or they may be incorporated into anecdotes that I tell to my grandchildren. By the end of the night we were pooped.
At Gyeongbok Palace


Final destination was the LOTTE Hotel in Jamsil. Towards the end of our night, we were walking up from the underground shopping and passed a set of clear doors that opened to the parking area of the hotel. It was snowing! I dropped the box of Krispy Kremes I was carrying and ran outside. SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! SNOW FREAK OUT

SundayWe went to Lotte World, the world's largest indoor theme park. It's such a blatant rip off of Disney world that Mom, Erica and I couldn't help but laugh! We rode rides, ate yummy park junk food (Erica looooved the roasted squid), and were generally merry.. but we didn't mind leaving early!

Then it was back to Jochiwon.. joggity jog. Parting was such sweet sorrow.

Momma and Sissy, Part One!

MY MOMMA AND SISSY ARE HERE! AHHH! They're sleeping in my room right now! Isn't it wonderful?! Heart!

They arrived Sunday evening at Incheon airport. My friend Ben helped me find them. It was an arduous journey to Jochiwon. But once we arrived all was well!

Monday, we went to Magoksa temple in Gongju. We got some gorgeous pictures of the last trees with bright orange fall foliage, and the sun peeking through the leaves. On the way home, kindly monk who spoke almost no English gave us a ride all the way down to the bus terminal in Gongju.

Tuesday, Mom and Erica came to school with me! They met my principal, my co-teacher, my mentor teacher, all my students.. AND my unnis! Man Jun, Myeong Hee, and Min Youn made a sign that said "WELCOME CHARLOTTE'S FAMILY" and gave us a variety of Korean desserts! My mom gave them a big hug afterward and agreed-- I am lucky to have them!

They even ate kimabap, bibimbap, ddukbogi, sundubu jjigae, AND ingoppang! And they LOVED the school lunches!

Mom was not too pleased about North Korea's decision to fire at South Korea. I was not and am not worried about the situation, but it's a mother's duty to be concerned!

Wednesday, they ventured to Homeplus and got all sorts of goodies! I am so proud of them! That evening we went shopping in Daejeon, in the underground shopping area and got some home comforts-- McDonald's and California rolls!

Thursday, I gave them directions to the traditional market and they took all sorts of pictures of the cultural oddities residing in Jochiwon! My sister tried to take a picture of a cow's head and got yelled at by some old man!

I have Friday and Monday off from school, and we are heading out for Seoul! Whooo! I cannot wait! Okay, time to go hug my momma while I still can!

I am so happy to be here...

So, I have finished my two early classes today and am now ready to post some information about my amazing experience this weekend. My mind is brimming with memories and I would like to jot them down here. Apologies for the length of this post!

I went camping with three families this weekend. The parents are all extremely close and have known each other for 25 years. They all work for KCC, a glass-making company whose company apartments are right across from my school. I am close friends with Man Jun, one of my conference room big sisters or "unni."

They remind me of a family from the American 1950s. Good friends, clear goals, two kids each, mom stays at home, and strong family values. Their life, though I'm only seeing a sliver, looks beautiful. Here is a short video of the 3-family husbands singing at a concert.

Anyway, I went camping with them. They all need to practice their English. They picked me up in Jochiwon at 10, I ate breakfast at their house in Sojeong, then we took off for Jeounju. I played "I Spy"in the car with the kids. Once there, we went to a temple, a museum with portraits of old kings, a magic show, a famous bibimbap restaurant, a hanji (paper) museum and ate ALL sorts of new Korean goodies. Wonderful thing about traveling with children, they always want sweets. And since their parents were trying to impress me, we tried EVERYTHING. There was a walnut cake with custard inside called "hodo", a candy with honey filling and surrounded by a fine string taffy that looked like spider webs called "gul-ta-le", and a sweet korean cookie that tasted like toasted marshmallow called "dal-go-na". And a cinnamon alcoholic beverage called "mokju" that was to die for! Here is Mike and his fresh dal-go-na cookie.

I slept in the car and we got to our camp site, an old-style Korean house "hanok". I played a board game with the kids while the parents started grilling food. And, oh my god the food. They bought me a viable vegetarian feast! Man Jun and my unnis at school are always looking out for me and my pseudo-vegetarianism. Well, Man Jun's husband found (most likely) the ONLY website in Korea that sells soy meats! So I had veggie dogs, veggie sausage, veggie burgers and veggie steak! I was in VEGEMEAT HEAVEN! I was so full I thought I might burst. Then I introduced them to an American delicacy known as S'mores.

The adults all stood around the grill, drinking soju and cooking. They asked how old I was when the soju was brought out, and thus the honorary drinking cheer that night was "TWENTY ONE!" And then Jang Suk brought out a guitar! They began singing Korean songs from the old days and I mumbled along best I could. (We also sang, Yesterday and Edelweiss). There's video of us somewhere. And oh! Korean women do fart. You're going to have to ask about that story though. They all drank until their faces were flushed, (but said they were on their best behavior for me) and we went inside. We played Sam, Yuk, Ku where you go around a circle counting, but clap if a number has a 3, 6 or 9. Then they ate MORE! Ramen this time! Man Jun's husband gave me a (drunken) traditional Korean manicure using flower dye on my pinkies and ring fingers. If the color is still there by the first snow, I will find the man I am going to marry. Oh, Korea..

The next morning. We ate a full breakfast, and I played soccer with the kids. Then we ate some fruit, took group photos and set off for mount Daedun. Hiking is beautiful, but my knee really doesn't allow me to go far. The dads climbed to the mountain top, and while I climbed a little.. I mostly ran around with the kids, and sat at the foot od the mountain eating odeng, kimbap, fried ginseng and more candy. Then we ate "kal-guk-su" or knife noodles. Damn! Koreans like to eat.

The car drive back to Jochiwon was touching. Oh Seong / Mike (Man Jun's son as well as my student) fell asleep on my shoulder. Man Jun said she always wants to help me at school, but has a hard time because of her bad English. (This was parlayed through her husband.) She said that I am a smart and kind young girl, my mother should be very proud, and that when I get married, she wants to come to my wedding.

I would never have had this experience had I not taken a chance and come to Korea. I am so happy to be here.

Growing into myself..

Every teacher living in Korea will tell you that the lifestyle has it's ups and downs. But chances are, there are more ups than downs and that's what keeps them here!

I'm growing everyday. I can feel it. A feeling of pride, accomplishment, and change for the better. Life here isn't perfect, but it isn't perfect anywhere. The bumps in the road are what give us character.

Also, living so far from home is tough. I miss my friends and family. I miss the familiarity. I miss people who speak English. I miss veggie dogs! But being away from my loved ones and confidants has pushed me to make decisions that are truly my own apart from others' judgments and opinions. It's a good thing. :)

Proud Teacher

The student festival performance went pretty darn well! I have definitely had a "proud teacher" moment. Here is our performance.

Elementary English Class sings and dances to "Hello Goodbye" from Charlotte Jones on Vimeo.

Busy Week!

As a preface yet something I cannot adequately state in words, if you have sent me a letter / package in Korea, you are one of the most important and special people in my life. I love you and treasure you more than I can possibly express. ((HUGS))

This week has been by far the busiest week of my Korean work life. Between having my schedule jostled and mixed-up, completing a presentation outlining my teaching methods, finishing an essay for my contract extension, AND preparing my classes for the student festival.. I am spent! I've been working extra hours every day this week. Though I completely didn't expect it, my mentor teacher told me I'd be getting paid overtime for all the extra work I've done this week. She also went out of her way to write me a thank you note about how much she appreciates my effort-- I wonder if she understands how much that meant to me.

So yes, I am planning on extending my contract for additional 6 months. I enjoy it here way too much, and will surely regret passing up the opportunity to revel in my happiness. I know I am missed back home, but I know that my loved ones want what is best for me. =)

To say it was busy is true, but normally my job is quite fun and stress-free. The student festival is tomorrow (Saturday) morning and the parents come to the school-- All the teachers are stressing like crazy over it. My students are under-prepared to say the least. I found out about the festival three weeks ago and was told it was November 13th. Last week, they told me it changed to the 6th. Argh! So my students basically had four classes to prepare the dance to go with Glee's version of "Hello, Goodbye." It's very loosely based off the show choreography, but much simpler. Here's the video I used to inspire them:


I have about four letters waiting to be sent. I usually take time before school to go to the post office but have had to come in early each day this week.. I've had little "me" time this week, but did enjoy a nice dinner of dukgalbi (I worked aroung the chicken) with fellow "waygook" English teachers. They are quite a multicultural group; 2 Irish, 1 South African, 1 English, 3 Canadians. I was in awe of that. Also, dukgalbi is delicious.

I suppose that's all for now. Please send Twizzlers! LOL!

Halloween in Korea

HOLY CRAP I had an amazing weekend. Playing zombie in Seoul was a ridiculously awesome experience.



First, let's backtrack. On Thursday I had a Halloween party with my kids at the suggestion of many amazing TaLK scholars. For each of my classes, we went trick-or-treating to the library and teacher conference room, played pin the nose on the pumpkin, did a mummy wrap and unscrambled the letters in Halloween and recorded a message for our penpals! I should have a video compilation done soon. All photos of the Sojeong Elementary Halloween party can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=8409&id=295700354


That night I also went to a concert that featured one of my student's fathers as a performer. They also had Pansuri singing, a traditional Korean style of singing! http://www.facebook.com/annunc1ata?v=app_2392950137#!/video/video.php?v=508860385508

On Friday afternoon, I found out about a Seoul Zombie Walk on Saturday and immediately began rearranging my plans to go. I saw Paranormal Activity 2 in Suwon with Luke on Friday evening and made my way up to Seoul on Saturday afternoon.

I met up with my friend Tammy, a Gongju TaLK scholar, in Itaewon. We went to What The Book?, Korea's best foreign bookstore, and ate at Gecko's Bar and Grill-- I had a tofu enchilada, yum! Tammy and I took the metro to Seoul Park and started doing our makeup.

We began walking through the park at about 9:30pm, then made our descent upon the metro. About 40 zombies lumbered through the Seoul metro train, freaking out the local Koreans. We actually had a very angry man almost call the cops on us. Kayla, Miok, and Kristen met up with us on the subway as zombie hunters with terrifyingly realistic toy guns!



We continued the scaring in Hongdae, I'm sure there will be many pictures.
To help you be there, I posted this on my Picasa. A compilation of the photos taken by my friends last night.

http://picasaweb.google.com/nyxnightingale/ZombieHalloween#

I came home to Jochiwon and slept for 5 hours. My feet are swollen and the bottoms are bruised. I have a cough and a sniffle from wearing fishnet stockings in Korean autumn. My throat is hoarse from rasping "Nuwaeee.." all night at the unsuspecting Koreans. But I had a fan-fraking-tastic time and I wouldn't have done anything different.

A Floridian's lessons in cold weather..

It's cold! Monday brought a chill through Korea, and I'm taking it with as much strength as I can. But as a lifelong Floridian, I am not used to this cold. At all. This winter shall be.. interesting. My face and hands are red from the cold and it's not even November!



The ginko leaves have all turned yellow and fallen off the trees due to the sudden chill, and all the beautiful fall wild flowers that popped up in September have drooped and withered.

I have learned a few things in this unfamiliar cold, known for generations of northmen:
1) Scarves can be stylish, but are essential in cold weather. Putting on a scarf properly by placing front, crossing back and tucking in keeps your neck toasty where a coat can fail.
2) Pockets are not just for storing keys and cell phones. Keeping one's hands in one's pockets while walking keeps them from turning purple. Always a good thing.
3) Layers. Layers don't make sense in Florida, and the hipster fashion of layering clothing clearly originated in colder climates, but it makes a lot of sense here.

And always, my friends, always walk in the sunlight.

Seoul Sistas

Took off for Seoul this weekend with the dream team; Corrie, Stephanie and Emily! I cannot reiterate enough how awesome it is to have these three ladies in my Korean life! I only wish they lived closer so I could go on more adventures with them!


ANYWHO, our destination was the G20 Summit Concert / Asia Song Festival at Olympic Stadium in Seoul. There we some of Asia's (but mostly Korea's) top pop music groups/ singers including; 2PM, KARA, B2ST, BoA, AND the crown prince of Korea himself, RAIN! Jackie Chan was supposed to be there, but it was a damned lie. We got a video of him saying hello in badly dubbed Korean.

Following the concert, we found a lovely love motel to rest our heads and went dancing in Hongdae. It was a damn good night.

The following day, we met up in Myeongdong for some shopping time! Myeongdong is a dangerous place indeed-- Especially the 4-story Forever 21 store. We ate curry for dinner and went our separate ways. But had a dramatically adorably ridiculous rendition with the four of us singing "All My Loving" in Seoul Station.

Coming home to Jochiwon after such an amazing weekend kinda blew, and Monday was the coldest day I've had here. Luckily my parka from back home arrived just in time! It kept me cozy on a listless night.

Lost in Busan

I went to Busan this weekend. Busan is the second largest city in Korea and it is on the far southern coast of Korea! It was remarkably warm and sunny for our entire stay-- and in long sleeves, jeans and boots, I unfortunately did not dress for the occasion! Though I did wade in the waters of the Eastern Pacific ocean! It was really quite breathtaking, and wonderful to see the ocean again!

We spent most of our time in Haeundae Beach, where Korea's largest aquarium, the Busan Film Festival, and the Busan Museum of Art lay rest. The museum was absolutely trippy and a refreshing splash of weird in Korea!

The huge downside of this trip was the cost of transportation. I probably spent close to 100,000 won in train fare ($40 one way), taxis, buses and metros. It was way more than I wanted to spend, but I got to see a new city and I am glad I went while I could still enjoy the beach!

But overall, a good time was had by all!

Fun Times in Seoul

I went to Seoul this weekend! Not without bumbling adventure, I got desperately lost on the subway but played the "stupid Miguk" and got help from people who felt sorry for me. Standing in the rain, asking for directions, hair wet, hand-drawn map colors running, I must've looked pretty pathetic. I am grateful for the kindness of strangers.

But the reward? Classes and dinner with the beautifully amazing Belynda Azhaar (http://www.azhaardance.com). I learned some cool choreography, got new fire-colored fan veils, AND met some amazing new friends!

After dance and dinner, I met up with my superfriend Ben and had an awesome time bar hopping in (Sh)Itaewon and dancing in Hongdae! I saw my first car collision in Korea in Itaewon, and subsequently a very very VERY angry Korean man yelling at the bus driver in the middle of the street. I hadn't gone clubbing in Seoul before, but there are SO many foreigners there, even Hongdae was full of waygooks. I didn't even feel like I was in Korea.

Apologies for no pictures, I will be a better documenter in the future!

Wrapping up the second month...

I decided to venture out and take a yoga class tonight here in Jochiwon. Dear Korea, your yogas is not yoga. But I shall be going back. I've paid for a month and am up for the challenge. More ajuma torture coming up! I'm going to be a rock. And a flexible one at that.


Yesterday, as many people may know due to an abundance of Facebook feedback, I chanfed my hairstyle to something more Korean. Bangs. Perhaps the not most earthshaking of changes to most, but my hair has been the same since 5th grade and I am enthralled at the look of my bangs. The most hilarious thing about the cut is the double take Koreans have given me-- "Ah, Korean hair color and cut, but.. what? Her face is malformed! She's a Miguk! Gasp!" Double take. Also, you may not know that the cost of the haircut was 2000\, less than $2 American.

Yesterday we went to the World Baekje Festival with all of the foreign (Yankees, Brits, Canuks, Africaans) teachers in Yeongi. We went to Gongju and Boreyang. Baekje is one of the three ancient kingdoms of Korea, and the festival pays tribute to Korea's history. The trip was rushed but fun, days off that entail a free trip and food are always welcome.

Chuseok and Mask Festival

Holy moly it's been a long time since I've posted. So, what has happened?

Well, I've started a new romance. It's with this country. I am sort of in love with it. Uh-oh! ^_^

Last weekend, I went to Gongju (about a 30 minute city bus ride) to visit my friend Kayla and genuinely loved it. We went biking down the river and sampled the beauties of the World Bakje Festival which lasts an entire month! Gongju was the old capital of Korea and it is absolutely an enchanting city. We also saw a lot of Korean men singing 80s songs in drag.

Then I worked for one day, Monday. My mentor teacher told me she was quitting. That was a low blow. I am not sure what I am going to do regarding that situation, but I am hoping for the best. <3


Then onto a week-long vacation for the Korean harvest festival, Chuseok! A celebration of family and ancestors and warm loving love! That night, Monday, I went home with one of the parent volunteers at my school and spent the night at her house. She is the mother of four beautiful children and lives in a huge old-style house, not fancy but a very warm house. They are just so happy and awesome. I helped her make a dinner of dukbogi (chewy rice cake, fish and vegetables in a red pepper sauce) and about 10 side dishes. She helped me with my Korean a great deal AND we got to make songpyeon, a rice cake specifically for Chuseok with a sweet grinded sesame seed filling! Yum!

I stayed until Tuesday morning, then hopped on the train to my friend Luke in Suwon, about an hour train ride northwest of Jochiwon. Luke has an amazing loft apartment! We watched old Treehouse of Horror Simpsons episodes! Suwon is a nice little city but the severe rains prevented me from seeing many sights. Sadface. I am thinking of my family and friends back home often and have written letters and bought many gifts.

Wednesday morning, I took off for Waegwan, a 2.5 hour train ride southeast from Jochiwon. There I met up with my super vegetarian friend Corrie and we went to Rangpang Donut, where we were awarded free donuts (because they didn't make new ones and they were day old.) Soon thereafter, Emily and Steph showed up in Waegwan and we reunited a dream team! Baskin Robbins ice cream for starters! Then we slid down the bike ramp. Video to follow, I assure you. Waegwan was chilly and rainy and wet on Wednesday, and I'd forgotten my umbrella.. But friends made it entirely insignificant! We sang songs, made Korean-version smores, and went on an inappropriately-dressed late-night trip to the super market that night. We crammed into one twin bed that night as well. It was pretty amusing.

Thursday we went to Rangpang Donut again, (Oh so wonderful-- I want one in Jochiwon!) and went shopping. I spent about 65,000 won and got a metric asston of clothing, including adorable shoes and Konglish shirts, like "FANGS ARE FNTASTIC" (picture with me and Stephanie) which I bought for $5. For dinner, we had Dominoes pizza in a parking lot, because there was nowhere else to sit. Then we had a fashion show back at Corrie's massive apartment. AND we made macaroni and cheese. Our strainer was a plastic shopping bag with holes poked in it!



Friday, we left for Andong, the place of the annual International Maskdance Festival. We didn't arrive until about 6:00pm, but we were able to see the opening ceremony which consisted of beautiful elaborate dramatic dance. I was starting to feel sick towards the end of the night and ended up making an early night of it. We all stayed at Katelyn's place in Andong, 2 in the bed, 8 on the floor! But the next day we ascended upon the gigantic festival! It was pretty amazing! The masks were beautiful, and though the weather had been very chilly, the sun gave us balmy weather during the day! We made masks, drank slushies, watched shows, got bombarded by 15 paparazzi men, were interviewed by Korean TV, watched fireworks had a grand time!

We hopped the train at 8:20 and I was home by 1:00am. It was an amazing time.

CHUSEOK VIDEO:
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c278/annunciata/Korea/?action=view¤t=Chuseok.mp4

Productive Insomnia!

I may as well post a blog update while I am lying awake sick!

So, yes. I finally caught a Korean cold. Go me! I got some orange juice before work at the GS25 (convenience store) but was unable to convey that I wanted cold medicine. So, when I arrived at school I went to the school nurse and through extensive pantomime (sick, headache, dizzy, runny nose, cough, medicine) was able to get some cold medicine! It's traditional medicine that tastes like a molasses drink. A few of the 6th grade girls said, "Teacher, sick? Awwww.. Medicine? *point* UGHHH! *stick tongue out*" They hated it. But I like the way it tastes!

Last weekend, I went on an adventure in Daegu in honor of my friend / orientation roommate Emily's 21st birthday. It was about a 2.5 hour train ride from Jochiwon to Daegu. On the way there, I sat next to a particularly smelly young man, and lost my electronic dictionary stylus in a seat cushion. Do'h! Once in Daegu, I met up with Emily and Steph and got some pabingsu. I love it well. We proceeded to get food. went to noraebang (karaoke!), got our bags and danced until about 3:00 in the morning. Here is a snapshot of the lovely Emily and Corrie dancing at noraebang.

Then, we went to look for a "jingibang" or spa to stay in (they're usually about $7 a person to stay the night. First one? A "special" jinjibang marked by a barber's pole. Basically, prostitutes. Ladies are not allowed and I don't think you can stay the night. So, we kept walking. Jinjibang #2: Filled to occupancy, but another lead! Jinjibang #3: A terrifying old building that looks like a haunted house! I think this is cool, others are not so thrilled. We finally check it out, and alas. Filled to occupancy. We try about 3 others with no luck, and end up sleeping on benches at the train station until morning and go home.

Unfortunately, there are not many pictures. Or, maybe it is fortunate? We rotated between soaked, very drunk, and very tired throughout the course of the adventure and probably wouldn't have produced very lovely pictures.

Day to day..

Today was Friday! Hooray! I taught my beginners and intermediates. They LOVE Jolly Pong. It's like kiddie crack! Even the beginner class was trying to impress me with their short sentences. "Teacher! I like Jolly Pong!" *offers hand*


I also taught my adult class today-- they are WAY more advanced than I thought they would be. One of the adults is my mentor teacher! Her English is conversational, but her processing time is just a little slow. I really do not know what I am going to teach. Conversation tags are too low. Debate maybe? Creating their own opinions?

I do not want to stay in Jochiwon this weekend. Last weekend was the first time I felt a twinge of sadness. I was broke and unable to travel, really even too poor to buy groceries and generally grumpy. Luckily my friend and fellow TaLK scholar Will was there to commiserate with me.

Classes are going smoothly. We are setting up a pen-pal system with my mom's gifted class in Florida, and my students are SO excited! They can't wait!

I also discovered something cool about my previous scholars at Sojeong Elementary--- they were two brothers! Kevin came in Summer '08 as a 1st Generation Scholar and his brother Charles came in Summer '09 as a 3rd Generation Scholar. How cool is that?

The good, the bad, and the bizarre.

The good:
I am loving my job. My mentor teacher told me today that I was "awesome," "fantastic," "the best I could be," and that I looked like "a professional teacher." I really love working with the kids and this is striking an amazing balance. My co-teacher, Peppi, will be with me Tuesday and Wednesday which makes me happy. Yay! Today, and every Monday, I will help by teaching the regular classes from 10:30 to 2:30. I taught two 6th grade classes and one 4th grade.. Using the set curriculum was a little different but it worked out really well I think. :3

In my regular classroom, I've set up behavior charts and presented the class with prize incentives to be good and come to class. They love the Starburst and Skittles!


The bad:
I am flat broke; not even a joke. Including in my Korean bank account, I have about $10 to survive me until tomorrow when my $300 settlement fee should come in. I am strangely okay with it, but it leaves me a teensy bit bored. I have noodles, eggs, veggies, TV, and internet. Plus I have Will to keep me company. We're both completely broke and have found quite a few cost-less wandering adventures.

One of our adventures, as pictured here, was finding some Korean dancer ladies walking down the streets of Jochiwon. They were fabulous.



The bizarre:
I had an entire conversation using the smallest possible amount of language possible today with a Chinese man at the train station. What he was doing in Korea, I still have no clue. Then, on the bus ride home, I got a phone call from the mail man and basically said "yeehe motee soyo?" (I don't understand) "ucheguk Jochiwon?" (Jochiwon post office) the whole time. Luckily, he was bringing my Korean/English electronic dictionary. Yay!

First Day of Class!

Hooray! My first day of classes left me pretty drained, but I felt good about the experience! 3rd-6th graders were AMAZING.. but with the little ones, I have my work cut out for me. They need to be active, constantly! There were two boys who were downright naughty. They ran up to the board and erased things, started pulling on the projector, when I pointed to their seats one of them shouted "Aniyo!" and they wouldn't play games according to directions either. It was very frustrating and the language barrier was evident. I am going to go in-depth into rules and consequences tomorrow.

My classes are approximately 40 minutes long and starting at 2:00 to 2:40 I have 1st/2nd grade, From 3:00 to 3:40 is 3rd/4th grade, then from 3:40 to 4:20 is 5th/6th grade. My school is very relaxed about.. everything!



It is a relief I think.. but why am I so uneasy? o.0

I am going to try uploading photos to Facebook now. Others seem curious why my photos don't surface there, and the uploading process doesn't seem to be dreadful right now!

Details of Arrival

Or last day in Yonsan was yesterday, thank the powers that be. We had a lunch where we met our Mentor Teacher. AND I was surprised to have a foreign scholar / co-teacher! Repeat, I have a co-teacher! He was there the whole time but the dis-organization of Chungnam didn't have us written on the same list. He is so cool and has helped me get free internet and sends me funny text messages!

I slept in the car. We arrived at Yeongi, my county, office of education. There I saw Will and Falon, fellow TaLKers who will be in Jochiwon. We were then driven to our apartments.. each of us is very close by! My apartment is cute, very clean and tidy with a large floor great for dancing! The bathroom is TINY though! Showers are taken in the general vicinity of the bathroom, no shower curtain or tub basin. I flipped my shower head and it sprayed all over my towel and toiletries! Do'h!


A 3rd generation TaLK scholar, Stephanie, showed us around Jochiwon upon our arrival. She took us out for food, to the Home Plus, helped me get more minutes on my cell phone, and took us to a local bar. It was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a more awesome person to hang out with!

Hilarious story-- my friend Will asked "What are these buttons on your toilet?!" and made a stream of water hit the wall from the basin. Apparently, I have a bidet. This incident threw me into a fit of laughter that made me fall over.

Apartment!

I have an apartment! Woo-hoo!



South Korea, Chung-nam, Yeongi-gun, Jochiwon-eup, Chimsan-lee 263-2, Jong Jung Bldg, Apt# 202

Funny, Haha

Our completion certificate had three hilarious typos on it, three "meek" orientation, "partiripants" in the "Tearh" and Learn in Korea Program.

Week 3: English Camp!

Okay, so... This post ought to be rather interesting. It has been a very intense week--- we spent Sunday-Thursday in Pyeong-chang in (Northern) South Korea. We shared large room and 1 bathroom with 8 people, all sleeping on the floor.

I was assigned to a very energetic Korean boy from Bupo. I tried talking to him extensively, played games, bought him lollipops and ice cream.. but he seemed thoroughly uninterested in me. On day 2, I bonded with a little girl named Jessica and she begged her (male) TaLK scholar "I want HER! Stinky boy!" Jessica is the sweetest little girl, an amazing artist as well who wants to be a fashion designer, and I hope she does well in life.

After four days at English camp, all TaLK scholars were beat to be sure. On the drive home, I primarily slept. Tonight we had a talent show, which I bellydanced in. I placed (er, didn't know there were going to be places or I might have practiced) third got tooons of commendations from friends and scholars.. and got a big hug from our group six coordinator, Marcelle, which meant a lot to me.

We went out and sang noraebang for a bit afterward. No pictures for that, thankfully. It would have been undoubtedly embarrassing..

But, hey, I made it "home" to the dorms by curfew!

Week 2: Koreatastic Times!

This week was another very full adventure in Korea. Monday was a full lecture day, but I was able to explore the traditional Korean market in Jochiwon that night. We were given $20, were put into groups and given tasks to complete-- like buying slippers or finding the smallest available shoe size, and asked to bargain on prices. Gak ga juseyo: "Can you give a discount please?" We're all showing off our uber-cool scavenger hunt items in the picture.

Tuesday and Wednesday were lecture days. Though, we got all dressed up to meet our provincial office of education representatives who told us about our schools. I've contacted both my Korean mentor teacher and the scholar who was previously in my position at my school (Sojoung Elementary) but haven't heard back from them yet.

Thursday was SEOUL. We saw a performance of "Nanta" a Korean musical of sorts, except with no songs. It was somewhat like the Blue Man group and cooking combined, very fun, high energy and entertaining. Then we had a Korean cooking lesson and learned to make bibimbap, blanching vegetables and what-not.

Then we were off. On our own. First order of biznezz: cell phones. So, I got some T-Money (sounds like a hilarious nickname, but is a card used for subway and taxis) and a few of us took the subway to Itaewon. I spent $50 for a pay-as-you-go phone. It took a bit for the phones to activate, so I killed some time in a PC cafe and got a Frappuchino. It was much more expensive and not quite as good as the ones at home. We ate dinner in Itaewon, next to a transvestite club. Then we spent the night in a spa. The bath house gender separated but nude and had giant phallus statues. Cameras weren't allowed. I'm sure you're all terribly disappointed.

On Friday, we left early. Really early and headed to the giant Coex mall underneath the World Trade Center. I finally got some pancakes, we went to a bookstore, shopped around the group split; half of us saw Inception and others went to an aquarium. Inception was awesome! We ate again, and then we all got our bank cards sorted out. Debit card, yaaay! We were on our way to the World Taekwondo Federation headquarters but had to leave early because a party member fell very sick. The train ticket home was only $8! We ordered Mr. Pizza back in Jochiwon and enjoyed it in the lobby.

That being said, I.. really don't want to go back to Seoul for a while. True, it was fun. True, we did get a great deal done. But it was also exhausting, confusing to navigate, expensive to eat and travel, difficult to effectively appease 8 people for activity choices and with the Korean summer heat to top it off, I was Bitchy McBitch before the end of it. My two days in Seoul totaled about $200, not much considering how much most people spend on vacations, but I just can't be spending that kind of money right now.

Today, I got to sleep in until 11, and soon thereafter talked to Mom and Sissy on Skype. Afterward, me and some friends ate lunch and walked to the Paris Baguette (a Korean bakery chain) in Jochiwon for coffee and pastries. Laundry, cleaning, stuff. I'm already ready for bed. We have to get up early to go north to English Camp, to practice with real live Korean students! We will each be assigned an kid to mentor, and practix our skillz. NO INTERNET UNTIL FRIDAY.

Here's a map to help you visual learners. I've been all over the place.
View Charlotte's Korea Adventures in a larger map

Buddhist Temple

We went to the Gapsa temple in Gongjuu yesterday. It was very beautiful, and the humidity was lower than that in Jochiwon. We also had a lovely breeze flow in with some regularity.


About 75 miles south of Seoul

You have to walk up a slight incline for about ten minutes just to get to the temple(s). Once our massive group of Westerners made the ascent, were greeted by 15th-century style brightly colored buildings amplified with beautiful grounds and lotus flowers, old stone statuary, and old style drinking fountains (with dipping cups!)


Probably my favorite "captured memory" of the trip was this, a video of the morning prayers at the temple. Very lovely.


From the monks at the temple, we learned prayers, temple etiquette, made prayer beads, created a stamped rice paper image, and enjoyed a bi-bim-bap lunch at the temple. Fun touristy stuff, this program really has opened up some amazing opportunities. =)

We also walked up a mountain to see the waterfall at the top. I slipped several times, and fell on my ass toward the end. I blamed the traction of my Chuck Taylors but many other TaLKers were wearing Chucks and had no problems..

The trail was breathtaking. Visitors could be seen enjoying picnics and lounging on mats on the rocks next to the stream created by the waterfall. I really would like to come back and enjoy lunch here, the fast pace of being on a toured trip tends to interfere.

I didn't get very good pictures, as seems to be my tendency. But it was a powerful trip.

Medical Exams, Peach Festival, and Noraebang

Today was probably our worst day thus far.. We had medical examinations, and the Chungnam group, being group 6 was scheduled to go last. We had been fasting since 9pm and didn't get to eat until about 2pm. This also caused us to spend a hefty portion of our day off waiting in a room. They said it was because people were talking to the hospital staff too much. Kinda crummy, but what can you do?

There was a peach festival today in Jochiwon, less than half a mile from campus. It was really lovely.. But they appeared to have run out of peaches by the time we were able to get there around 3pm. It was interesting, enjoying my Bing Soo underneath the eating tent, my party had headed back before the rain but I wanted to wander still. Anyway, I was definitely getting stared at. I suppose not being in a big group of Westerner's made me acutely aware.


I think a group of girls from Chungnam are going to go sing karaoke tonight. I am apprehensive to go anywhere alone without a cell phone and slinging my current (lack) of vernacular. My brain is having trouble retaining all the information, and I cannot remember phrases like I should. Maybe I should set a goal for two small phrases a day, because that's all I can appear to handle. (Today I nailed "eodi issaeo" and "kamsahamnida")

Noraebang Bunch: